Advanced Search

Choose a Category                  Announcements Audio Desktop PCs Digital cameras & camcorders Displays Environment Events Film, TV, manga & anime Gaming GPS Home theater Household Internet Interviews iPad iPhone Japan Mobile computing NOT Japan Off Topic Peripherals Power R&D Robots Software Storage Toys Transportation Video Wireless WTF?

Choose a Month                     September 2020 May 2016 February 2016 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

 Get the stories!  Or just the comments...

• Home
  • Top
  • Archives
  • Categories
  • Tags
  • Sites We Like
• About & Contact
• Datefinder
• Buy J-Gadgets!
• Snapp! PR
• Advertise!

Head-mounted home cinema still a stupid idea
Tweet

The latest doomed attempt to mount a virtual cinema atop the heads of geeks everywhere comes from the oddly named Mikimoto Beans of Japan. Its iTheaterV will be available there next month for ¥39,800 ($320).

Similar to systems we’ve seen before, the iTheaterV takes video from the source and displays it on two tiny LCDs in a pair of glasses to create the illusion of looking at a much larger screen. The virtual display is said to be a 65in screen at a distance of 2.5m.

Another approach Mikimoto Beans has in common with other hawkers of head-mounted displays is its desire to piggyback on the success of the iPod - a cable and converter are included for hooking up to video from Apple’s leviathan.

With a battery life of four to five hours and a weight of just 70g, the iTheaterV is clearly a well-engineered product - it’s just a shame that the concept of watching video inside a pair of glasses is so fundamentally flawed as to be little more than a novelty.

(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

09:56 AM JMLH • Permalink
Add a comment | More DWT | Get a cool job in Japan! | Follow us on Twitter

Date much?

Japanese gadgets from Tokyo Zakka! — Perfect gifts for your nerdiest friends back home!

C'mon - let's hear it...

Spammers beware: Any links in comments to commercial websites will be treated as paid advertising and will be charged at rate of $10 per link per day. Invoices will be sent to the idiots who hire you for so-called SEO jobs. All you good people will always keep it real, of course - thanks!